Dortmund reveal fan-designed home kit for 2023/24

The winning design is the brainchild of Timo, who admitted he had "almost forgotten" about the contest until finding out he had made the final shortlist of nine last year. The media designer from nearby Marl ended up earning the majority of around 150,000 votes cast, and his new kit will therefore become the official home jersey from next term.

The shirt goes on sale on 26 May, and BVB will potentially don it for the first time the following day, in their final league game of the season against Mainz – which could see them conquer a first Bundesliga title since 2011/12. That would be some premiere for Timo's new Trikot!

The 44-year-old has moved away from this season's striped look, instead putting the emphasis on Dortmund's stadium, the Signal Iduna Park, and the Ruhr Valley's historical importance as a centre of mining and industry.

"A shirt should be striking, and it should be memorable," Timo declared in a video on the club's YouTube channel. "The main feature is the stadium, which the fans can identify with. It's a bit abstract with just the silhouette, plus the texture, which is reminiscent of coal and the roots of the Ruhr region. I felt it was really important to have a lot of black in my design; it makes the transition to the black shorts a bit more compact."

The kit also features a bold diagonal, which its creator said was inspired by similar motifs across the BVB platforms – in corporate design, on the website and in fan magazines.

Timo also explained that his attachment to the club is less about trophies and more about its reputation as one of world football's hottest destinations for the stars of tomorrow.

"I'm not the kind of fan who's desperate to win titles," he said. "I love that this is a place where talented players develop. Look at [Jude] Bellingham's development, for example. I think he was 17 when he came here, and within two years he became an international star. Or [Jadon] Sancho before him. That's the exciting thing about BVB."

Watch: All of Bellingham's Bundesliga goals and assists!

Another exciting thing about BVB is that they are still very much in the running for Bundesliga supremacy in 2022/23. And whatever happens in the final weeks of a barnstorming campaign, Timo will still get plenty of opportunities to see some of the game's best young players strutting their stuff – in his shirt, no less – next season.